Bissetta’s Hot Bat, Townsend’s Dominance Earn SEC Weekly Honors

OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss baseball is being rewarded for a dominant week on the field.

After helping lead the Rebels to key wins over Southern Miss and Tennessee, Tristan Bissetta and Cade Townsend both picked up weekly honors from the Southeastern Conference. Bissetta earned SEC Co-Player of the Week, while Townsend was named SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week.

The recognition marks a notable milestone for the program. Townsend becomes the first Rebel pitcher to claim the honor since Gunnar Hoglund in May of 2021, while Bissetta is the first Ole Miss player to earn Player of the Week recognition since Isaac Humphrey did so in March of last season.

Bissetta’s Bat Stays Red Hot

Bissetta turned in a monster stretch at the plate, hitting .500 across the week while homering in every game. The slugger totaled four home runs, three doubles, 10 RBIs and seven runs scored, finishing with a staggering 1.333 slugging percentage and 1.883 OPS.

His biggest swing came in Saturday’s series-clinching win, when he launched a 424-foot grand slam that helped put Tennessee away.

The recent surge is no fluke. Over his last eight games, Bissetta is batting .438 (14-for-32) with five home runs, four doubles, 12 RBIs and 13 runs scored. He has now gone deep in five straight games, continuing one of the hottest stretches of his career.

Townsend Dominant on the Mound

On the pitching side, Townsend delivered another standout performance in Saturday’s win over Tennessee, securing his third consecutive quality start.

The sophomore right-hander carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning and ultimately finished with six shutout frames. He allowed just four baserunners while striking out seven, keeping the Vols off balance throughout his outing.

Townsend has been in a groove over his last three starts, posting a 1.50 ERA with 21 strikeouts across 18 innings. During that span, he has surrendered just three earned runs, issued only three walks and held opposing hitters to a .172 batting average.

Rebels Rolling

With both Bissetta and Townsend performing at an elite level, Ole Miss continues to build momentum in SEC play. Their contributions have been central to the Rebels’ recent success — and if this stretch continues, the ceiling for this team keeps rising.